REU Summer Program: Participants

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2009 Participants

Name

Bio

Anna Edwards

I will be a senior at Beloit College in Wisconsin where I am a Physics major. At Beloit I am on the Cross Country and Swim teams and also play the clarinet in the school band. I love being outdoors hiking, swimming, or running. When not in school my home is Portland Oregon in the beautiful Northwest. I just returned from a semester abroad in Africa. In Kenya I studied and interned with an NGO working on resource conflict management. I am excited to be spending the summer at the University of Minnesota.

Rachael Fischer

I'm from Louisville, Colorado, and currently I'm studying Biomedical Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia. At Mizzou I am really involved with the College of Engineering through the Society of Women Engineers and Engineering Ambassadors. My hobbies include everything that has to do with the outdoors. This summer I am also training for a Half-Ironman Triathlon which means a lot of swimming, biking, and running. I also enjoy hanging out with friends and watching almost any sport. I am really excited about getting to spend the summer in Minnesota and having the opportunity to get involved in research.

Carl Hall

My name is Carl Hall and I’m a SC native attending Clemson University. I’m up for graduation next year with a ME major and Chemistry minor. What originally piqued my interest in engineering was amateur rocketry and other homemade propulsion-contraptions. After graduation, plans are to pursue graduate studies in turbulent combustion, or other overlaps of chemistry, propulsion, and mechanics. For a part time job I’m a pseudo-tutor for ME sophomores, and I love helping fellow students in course-work. I enjoy the great outdoors, both hiking/camping and road-biking… just wish I could bring a bike up to Minnesota.

Julie Hobson

I am a junior bioengineering major at Washington State University. I am keeping my options open for career plans, though my dream is to work on prosthetics for developing countries. I am from Puyallup, WA and in my spare time (haha, don't have much of that), I enjoy knitting, singing, biking, shopping at thrift stores, swimming, and baking and eating cookies. This year I was involved in the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) and led a Bible study in my dorm. I cannot wait to explore Minnesota, experience research, and get to know everyone this summer!

Steven Isaacs

I was born and raised in New Mexico. I grew up in Clayton, a small town in the northeast part of the state. Growing up, I was always fascinated by machines and technology. I attended CSU-Pueblo my first year of college and then transferred to the main campus at Ft. Collins. I enjoy school and studying new material. Currently, I have a GPA of 3.82. My hobbies include weightlifting, different types of sports and any kind of exercise.

Coty Jen

As a rising senior, I have come to love living in a densely populated and polluted city. I enjoy riding public transportation and trying out new restaurants. However, I cannot turn away from my life passions: woodworking, gardening, and canoeing. In addition, I take great pleasure in perusing the classics of literature and writing absurd short stories. Currently, I research aerosol chemistry in my chemical engineering department. My research is mainly focused on aerosol measurement technology. In the future, I desire to continue my education until my brain mutinies and abandons ship.

Amanda King

Originally from Greenville, SC, I am studying Mechanical Engineering at Clemson University in Clemson, SC. After obtaining my B.S., I intend on continuing my education in a direct to Ph.D. program, potentially concentrating in nanotechnology. I love to spend my free time outdoors, whether it involves hiking, mountain biking, or even reading a book in a neighboring park. I am really excited to spend an entire summer in Minneapolis, and look forward to visiting the farmer’s market, hopefully resuming lessons in gymnastics, and exploring outside the city while on weekend adventures.

Molly Lefebvre

My name is Molly Lefebvre. I am a junior in the Engineering Dual Degree program at Northwestern College. I was raised in St. Michael, Minnesota, a small suburb northwest of the Twin Cities. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. My older sisters are both married, and my younger brothers are in Elementary School. I enjoy outdoor activities such as soccer, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, and running. I am looking forward to participating in the research program this summer.

Janet Ondrake

My name is Janet Ondrake and I am a rising senior Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in Biomedical Sciences at Ohio Northern University. In the future I hope to continue my studies and research in Biomedical Engineering. I am from the east side of Cleveland, Richmond Hts. Ohio. I love the outdoors, have been a Girl Scout my whole life. I love being artistic, especially when it comes to dancing.

Mack Pasqual

I am currently a junior in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. I am working toward degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and am planning on conducting my senior independent project on a topic relating to control theory and artificial intelligence. I was born and raised in a suburb of Chicago and am the eldest of three brothers. Outside of class, I enjoy canoeing, cooking, watching action movies and making ceramics.

Katrin Passlack

Originally, I’m from Dresden, Germany. My family moved to the states when I was still little and we’ve pretty much lived in Arizona ever since. Now they’re actually moving to Belgium and I’ll be off to live in Oklahoma after summer. I’m pursuing a double major in mechanical engineering and kinesiology and am graduating from Arizona State with my kinesiology degree this May. I’ll be a Junior at the University of Oklahoma in the fall to finish up my ME degree. I’m planning on attending graduate school, most probably for ME or bioengineering, and love learning about most anything, but especially biomechanics and neurophysiology. One of my passions in life is gymnastics. Until recently, I was a Junior Olympic level 10 competitive gymnast at a club called Aspire in Chandler, AZ. Since recently retiring from 16 years of training for the sport, I’ve devoted much more time to coaching gymnastics, and love working with the kids. I also enjoy traveling, snowboarding, reading, hanging out at the beach, cooking, pottery painting, and swimming.

Ian Peshel

My name is Ian Peshel. I am a junior mechanical engineering major at Youngstown State University in Ohio. My academic interest and activities include the Youngstown Environmental Sustainability Society, the honors program, emerging leaders program, and student government association. After my undergraduate studies, I plan to attend graduate school and obtain a masters degree in energy engineering. I am very interested and active in the green energy movement and plan to have a career in alternative energy engineering. As for out of school, I am a laid back individual who likes to go out and have fun, try new things, and travel.

Jason Schlup

I am currently a sophomore at Kansas State University and I am majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I am interested in aircraft engines and propulsion, as well as aerodynamics. After I graduate, I plan on pursuing a graduate degree in one of these fields, although I haven't decided which yet. In my free time I enjoy working with and on computers, playing soccer, swimming, and basically anything dealing with technology. I also love riding my motorcycle, and definitely wish I could ride it in the winter without freezing.

Jacob West

I am a rising junior at the Olin College of Engineering in Needham, MA, but I originally hail from Flower Mound, TX. I enjoy running, Ultimate Frisbee, reading, and doing construction-related volunteer work. I really enjoy hearing and making puns, particularly bad ones. I am excited about coming to Minnesota for the first time for what I expect to be the coldest summer of my life so far. I am studying mechanical engineering, and I am particularly interested in buildings and renewable energy.

Daniel Wiebe

I’m a Computer Science Major at Saint Olaf College, but I’ve taken many Physics classes as well, in the hope of doing a Master’s program in Engineering. Though I’m American, I’ve spent much of my life in Cairo, Egypt, living in dusty apartment buildings and attending an international American school there. For outdoor activities, I enjoy scuba diving, skiing, rock climbing, reading, canoeing, kayaking, and hiking, courtesy of Boy Scouts. I also like reading, singing, making modular origami, and playing various instruments.

J. Parley Wilson

I was born to good religious parents and grew up on a farm in Alta Wyoming. From a young age I enjoyed mechanical things and gained some experience doing maintenance and small repairs on farm equipment. I took a small engines class in high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. I always had ideas of things that I wanted to invent to make life easier or better or more fun. I decided to go into mechanical engineering at BYU-Idaho which I have also enjoyed very much. I received my bachelor’s degree in April. I enjoy skiing and riding snowmobiles and horses.

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